Murwillumbah
| est = | pop = 7,952 (2006 Census) | elevation= 8 | latd =28 |latm =20 |lats = | longd =153 |longm =23 |longs = | pushpin_label_position = left | maxtemp = 25.8 | mintemp = 14.4 | rainfall = 1570.1 | stategov = Lismore | fedgov = Richmond | dist1 = 822 | dir1 = NE | location1= Sydney | dist2 = 133 | dir2 = SSE | location2= Brisbane | dist3 = 31 | dir3 = SW | location3= Tweed Heads | dist4 = 52 | dir4 = NNW | location4= Byron Bay }} Murwillumbah is a town of approximately 7,500 people in far north-eastern New South Wales, Australia in the Tweed Shire. It lies on the Tweed River, 848 km north-east of Sydney, 13 km south of the Queensland border and 132 km south of Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Murwillumbah had a population of 7,952 people. The town's name is often abbreviated to M'bah"M'bah rail too costly: report" by Saffron Howden, Tweed Daily News (18 April 2009) or Murbah."Crittle set to tackle Murbah" by jamie Gallagher and geoff campbell, Tweed Daily News (15 December 2009) Murwillumbah sits on the south eastern foothills of the McPherson Range in the Tweed Volcano valley. The area is hilly. Many of the buildings are Art Deco in style and there are cafes, clothes and antique shops in the town. Murwillumbah was nominated one of the top ten sea/tree change towns in Australia. Murwillumbah is the eighth town mentioned in the original Australia version of the song "I've Been Everywhere". The area is used for filming of the British reality series, I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, and has been since 2002. Versions of the show for other countries are also produced in the area. History The first people to live in the area were Bundjalung people. The name Murwillumbah derives from an Aboriginal word meaning "camping place" – from Murrie, meaning "aboriginal people", Wolli, "a camp"; and Bab, "the place of". Nearby Mount Warning and its attendant national park are known as Wollumbin, meaning "Cloud Catcher", in the Bundjalung language. Timber-getters were drawn to the region in the 1840s. The river port at Tumbulgum was initially the main settlement. In 1902, a local government municipality was declared with Murwillumbah as its centre. Most of the town's business district was destroyed by fire in 1907. Murwillumbah is the location for Australia’s largest-ever bank robbery which occurred in 1978 and has not been solved. Floods Murwillumbah is protected by a series of levees, but they do not protect all parts of the town in major floods. The worst flood to hit the town occurred in February 1954, with another major flood in 1956. In 1974, 200 people were evacuated from the town after floodwater from Tropical Cyclone Zoe inundated the area. In January 2008, Murwillumbah and surrounding areas were hit by severe flooding. May 2009 saw more evacuations in the town and surrounds after heavy rainfall. Transport The town was bypassed by the Pacific Highway in August 2002. There is an inland road that passes along the Numinbah Valley through the towns of Chillingham, Numinbah and Natural Bridge which is scenic tourist drive. Another major road west of the town heads to Kyogle via the town Uki, and also passes near the town of Nimbin. Murwillumbah was the terminus of the Casino–Murwillumbah branch line, and had daily train services to Sydney until the line was closed in 2004. Industry The major industry of the area, apart from tourism, is sugarcane growing. There were numerous tramways in the area serving the sugar mill at Condong.The Sugar Tramways of Northern New South Wales, Armstrong, J., Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, June, 1976, pp. 118–132 There is also some dairy farming in the area. There are alternative lifestyle retreats nearby, notably one belonging to the Hare Krishna religion. Festivals The annual Tweed Banana Festival, the second oldest festival in Australia is staged in the town. In 2005, the festival celebrated its 50th anniversary. Since 2002 an annual historic motor racing festival has been run through the streets of Murwillimbah, featuring a parade through town, a one kilometre hillclimb course, and connected events, attracting thousands of spectators. Modeled on the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Speed on Tweed was a highlight of the local calendar attracting cars and competitors from all over Australia and from Europe and North America. In September 2009 the event was held in conjunction with Rally Australia which has scheduled one special stage in Murwillumbah. Education ;Primary schools *Condong Public School *Mt St Patrick Primary School *Murwillumbah East Primary School *Sathya Sai Primary School *South Murwillumbah's Infants School *St Joseph's Primary School *Murwillumbah Primary School *Tweed Valley Adventist College *Uki Public School ;Secondary schools *Mount Saint Patrick College *Murwillumbah High School *Wollumbin High School *Tweed Valley Adventist College Sports clubs Murwillumbah sports clubs include: *Murwillumbah Vulcans AFL *Murwillumbah Touch Association - "Mavericks" *The Gentlemen of Murwillumbah Rugby Union Club – "The Bananas" *Tweed Valley Kings Soccer Club *Murwillumbah Mustangs Rugby League Club *Murwillumbah Colts Junior Rugby League Club *Murwillumbah Golf Club *Murwillumbah Rowing Club *Murwillumbah Cricket Club *Condong Cane Toads Bowls Club Notable people Notable people from Murwillumbah include: * Doug Anthony (born 1929), Australian politician * Larry Corowa (born 1957), Australian international rugby league player * Bob Downe (born 1966), stage persona of the comedian Mark Trevorrow"The one story the English actually give a rat’s about" by Amy Fallon, The Punch (10 December 2009) * Nathan Eglington (born 1980), Australian field hockey midfielder and striker * Stephanie Gilmore (born 1988), Australian surfer with four world titles * John Hargreaves (born 1945), Australian actor * Tallulah Morton (born 1991), Australian model * Barry Singh (born 1965), Australian musician * Anthony Laffranchi (born 1980) Australian National Rugby League player References External links * Category:Murwillumbah Category:Towns in New South Wales Category:Northern Rivers